Dream a Little Dream
by akane-chan
Summary: Buffy has a dream that stars a few familiar faces.
1. Default Chapter Title

Story notes: First of all, I never claimed to be a good writer, just a writer. Any feedback is welcome. And if you have bad stuff to say, say it. It's probably not anything that I haven't heard before. I'm reached at morriganfairre@hotmail.com. Secondly, the story is from my head, but all the really great people in it don't belong to me. I bummed them from this really cool writer who goes by the name of Joss Whedon. Where he came up with them is his own business, and I hope he doesn't mind lending them to me. Thirdly, I hope this is clear enough, I love the character of Faith, even though I missed most of the episodes with her in them, and I wish that there were more background info on her. But I'm going by my own perceptions, and I'm about... okay 1-% right most of the time, but this might be it. Last of all, enough chatter by moi. We're missing the good stuff. By the way, this takes place in the fourth season right after Caveman Buffy, but before Oz left. And now, no introductions are needed, so here's the Scooby Gang in: 

Dream A Little Dream 

Buffy Summers found herself walking in a fog. Her wet prom dress stuck to her legs as she took one step forward, then another. Swish, swish. That was the sound the skirt of her dress made. She made a wrong step and almost slipped. Buffy put out her hand to try to steady herself. Her hand met a cool, wet stone wall. She was in a cave. She had come here to fight the Master. What had happened? Did she win? At least the prophecy didn't come true, she reasoned. Because here she was, still alive, right? Still breathing... for some reason, that thought made her shiver. Buffy shivered. It was cold. She rubbed her goosebump-covered arms, wishing that Angel would show up with one of his leather jackets from his seemingly never-ending supply. Or Xander, with his steady stream of chatter to drown out the rising fear that made her heart pound. Maybe Willow, with her gentle smile and innocent way of thinking that always made Buffy feel like she belonged. Or even Giles, with his fatherly disapproval of the way she operated. 

She remembered a room. Or a cavern, actually. Seeing the Master in his tattered finery amid the cobwebbed and broken antique furniture. 

And then... nothing. Nothing until she found herself steadily making her way... where? She didn't remember. "Teach me to go battling a master vampire on prom night," Buffy told herself, brightly, pretending not to notice the tremor in her own voice. I got him, didn't I? I would definitely remember *not* getting him, at least, she told herself. 

She ignored the thought that came next, the one that asked why wouldn't she *not* remember getting him, and focused on resuming her trek into the unknown. Her eyes caught a flicker of light that appeared ahead of her in the darkness. "Head towards the light, isn't that the deal?" she asked herself, even though that made her stomach churn. She mentally told herself to shut up and focused on the light that steadied and grew brighter ahead of her, as if someone had lit a candle. 

Swish. Swish. Her steps drew her closer, even though her Slayer senses were screaming at her that something was amiss. She entered another cavern that was lit up by a row of candles lining the walls. In the middle of the cave sitting on a red velvet lounge chair (though wondering what a lounge chair was doing in the middle of a cave didn't even register in Buffy's mind), was a young woman. Faith smiled at her invitingly. "Hiya, B," she greeted. 

Buffy immediately forgot the cold, the Master, even the fact that, and if the timeline was correct, Faith shouldn't even be in Sunnydale yet. She felt herself go into a ready stance. "W-wait. You're..." 

"In a coma?" Faith uncrossed her legs and stood. She was wearing a black catsuit that Buffy had never seen her wear before, but it looked like something Faith would wear. It showed off her figure without inhibiting her movement. She resembled a panther. 

Faith approached Buffy calmly, with no sign that she felt the other Slayer was a threat. The candlelight cast shadows across her face, sufficiently masking whatever she was feeling. "That's right, B. I'm no longer of the waking world." 

Buffy frowned, letting down her guard. "Then... this is just..." 

"A dream." Faith finished for her, standing in front of Buffy. "Another special dream. Starring me." 

Buffy took an involuntary step back. Faith laughed. A real laugh, of old, not the mocking laugh that she had taken to in the end, after she had thrown in her lot with the mayor. "No, not a prophecy dream, exactly. And this ain't no revenge plot either." 

Buffy gave her a distrustful look. "Then what is it?" she asked warily. 

"Call it... a test." Faith smiled at her enigmatically. The candles blew out as a strange wind picked up. 

******** 

"Faith?" Buffy called out, reaching to where the other girl had been moments before. Her hand met--- ---a tree branch. 

The fog finally cleared. Faith was now standing beside her. They were not in the cave anymore, but now in a clearing located in an unfamiliar forest. Surrounding the clearing here pole torches that blazed light into the area. Faith gave Buffy another grin and fully entered the clearing. After a moment's hesitation, Buffy followed her. 

"Buff, lighten up." Then she gave Buffy the once-over. "On second thought, I'd be freaked too. You can't do this in *that*." She snapped her fingers and Buffy found herself dry, now wearing her standard slayage attire, a pair of sweatpants and a sports shirt with a jacket over top, with her hair pulled in a loose ponytail. She was combat ready. 

"So, what? Do we fight now or something? Is this one of those 'there can be only one' scenarios?" Buffy crouched into a cat stance, shifting her weight on the balls of her feet as she waited for the battle to begin. 

Faith shook her head, clearly amused. "Relax, B. This ain't what you think." 

"Why don't you give the Watcher's Council a message for me, then? You know, remind them I'm not their girl anymore. I *quit*." She raised her eyebrow at Faith. "And since when did you become 'gopher girl' for the council? I thought you were done with them, too." Then she mentally twisted the knife. "Then again, since you're pretty good at that changing sides thing, did you decide to rejoin the *human* race?" She prepared herself for the attack that was sure to come. 

Instead of getting angry, though, Faith actually looked disappointed in Buffy. "I'm the emissary." she told her. 

Buffy was starting to get angry. "Look, I don't care if you *are* the, whatever! I'm not taking another damned test!" Buffy was ticked off enough that she didn't care if Faith was going to fight back or not, Buffy needed to vent, and there was a capable punching bag person in front of her. "I put my life on the line every night, and it's not enough for them! They keep throwing test after test, because, hey, if I failed one they could just try again with the runner up!" Buffy swung her fist at Faith, who blocked. Frustrated, Buffy tried to find an opening in Faith's defenses, wanting just one punch in. But none of her blows connected. Faith just kept blocking in that calm manner she had. "No matter what! The people I love be damned for all they care! Just as long as I'm in peak slaying condition, or dead!" She tried to fake Faith out, but it was as if the other girl was reading her mind. 

"The *Council*'," Faith answered, with something like pity, "is all politics. They're too caught up in their rules to get the real deal. They don't know what it's like to be one of us." 

"Damn right!" Buffy swept her foot out, trying to trip Faith up. Faith just jumped over it and back-flipped out of the roundhouse kick Buffy threw at her. 

"They may try to train us, they may even help us kill the demons and the vamps, but they'll never understand what it is to be the Slayer." 

"Then why are you doing this?" Buffy asked, giving up her anger for the time being. She leaned on her knees and tried to slow her adrenaline pumped heart rate as she contemplated the other Slayer, who hadn't even broken a sweat. 

So far, this dream really sucks. 

"Are you done yet? 'Cuz I really wanna get this done before you wake up." Faith crossed her arms and stared at Buffy with a hint of her old sarcasm. Buffy nodded reluctantly. "Good, because, Slayer..." she indicated the clearing with one hand. "I never said I was sent by the Council. I was sent by *them*." "*Them*?" Buffy asked, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She looked around and saw that a crowd of young women had surrounded the clearing. "Who..." her face trailed off as she saw a face in the crowd that she recognized. 

The girl stepped forward. "That is right, Buffy. We are not of the Council. They may be our teachers, but they are not like us. They don't know the life of the Slayer." Kendra looked the way she had when Buffy had first met her, right down to her favorite shirt, which had been torn in a fight with Spike and Drusilla. 

"Pink Ranger," Buffy whispered, her eyes filling. She hadn't really realized how badly the death of Kendra had actually affected her until she saw her, or her ghost. She looked at first Kendra, then Faith, in confusion. "What?" 

"Welcome to the Slayer Training Ground, B." Faith told her. 

"Slayer Training Ground?" 

"The *real* training ground. This is where you learn the good stuff." Faith walked over to a large stone chest that stood in the middle of the clearing. Buffy followed her, sensing Kendra behind her. Faith opened the chest and took out a dagger. It looked familiar, but Buffy couldn't remember where she had seen it before. It looked dark, as if something was on the blade. Buffy dismissed the nagging thought in her mind that the blade was important and looked into the chest. There was a vast array of weapons inside. "All the weapons of the Slayer." Faith told her. 

"Why do we need weapons?" Buffy asked. 

"Getting there." Faith answered. 

"Sorry." Buffy felt chastened. 

"You see, Buff, you've survived as the Slayer for a long time. Longer than most, really. You've killed a lot of the undead. Once you've reached a certain point, you get to enjoy the perks. One of which is this." She indicated the clearing again. 

"And this is?" Buffy was getting a little tired of the dream version of Faith fast. She sort of even missed the comfortableness of fighting with her. 

Faith looked at Kendra to explain. "We train you, Buffy." Kendra told her. "You will be taught the knowledge of the past Slayers." 

Buffy tried to digest this information. "I get to train with all the Slayers in my dreams?" That was sort of cool. Giles had gotten a little too easy to beat lately. She needed someone challenging to practice with, even if it was only in her dreams. 

"Pretty cool stuff, huh, B.?" Faith asked, getting Buffy's attention. She tossed Buffy the dagger she held in her hand. Buffy reached out to catch it... 

To be continued... ******************************************************** 

Okay, I have to do this in two parts, because my notepad won't hold all of it on one part. Next part... I reveal what I think Faith feels for Buffy, really, and I put the guy every girl has experienced in her life, Parker Abrhams. I myself got Parkered not too long ago (say, three weeks ago), and I thought Buffy might need a little satisfaction of closure there., but anyway, tell me what you think! 


	2. Default Chapter Title

Dream a Little Dream... part two. Lets just get on with it, shall we? 

...And woke up in her bed back at her dorm room. From her bed across the room, Willow mumbled and rolled over in her sleep. Buffy glanced at her clock. 4:22 a.m. She was wide-awake now, so she decided to do a little bit of patrolling before the sun came up. As she dressed in her standard slayage gear, she went over her dream in her mind. 

"That was way ooky," she muttered to herself, making a mental note to tell Giles about it. Maybe he'd heard of the dream 'Slayer Training Ground', though she'd gotten the impression that it wasn't common Watcher knowledge. It was like a secret handshake or something in a moose lodge. But, she reasoned Giles isn't exactly a Watcher anymore, so it's okay. She tied her running shoes as she made a mental note to run over to Giles's apartment before class. 

* * * * * * * 

Buffy made a quick sweep of the campus before deciding that the vamps had already gone beddy-bye. She made her way to the school cafeteria, which opened at 5:00a.m., as the sun rose in the pink sky. 

She needed her OJ fix. After purchasing it she looked around to find a seat. 

"Buffy..." came a voice from behind her. 

She spun around. There, sitting at a table by his lonesome (for once), was Parker. He looked as much like hell as Parker could. He had a definite five o'clock shadow. His clothes had that lived in look, and his hair was sticking up in numerous directions. He looked pale, which contrasted greatly with the huge purple knot that existed on his forehead. He didn't look as if he was sleeping well. 

Buffy took his state of being in as she felt her face warm slightly. It was because of her that he had that huge knot. Or at least, it was CaveBuffy's fault, but it was still indirectly her fault. "Parker?" she asked, sitting down in front of him. 

He gave her a wary look. "Are you going to hit me again?" 

She wanted to crawl under the table. "No, I'm..." she gave him a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry. I wasn't exactly myself." 

"No, it's okay. I deserved it." He rubbed the knot, wincing at the pain he obviously felt. 

"Oh, God, Parker, I'm so sorry." She winced in embarrassment. Even though, she thought to herself, he *did* deserve it. Then she mentally chastened herself. Buffy bad. 

"No...Really." Parker gave her his sincere look. "Buffy, I've been thinking." He paused then, just looking at her. Buffy felt another wave of heat reach her face. 

Oh no, she panicked, now that I've stopped the Parker-reunitement fantasies, they're coming true. 

"I realize now," he continued, "that I was leading you on. I didn't make my full intentions clear. I guess I knew that you wanted something more, but I ignored it." He had the nerve to look embarrassed. "I didn't even try to make it up to you when I saw how I was hurting you." He took her hand in his. "I didn't know how much I hurt you." 

"It's okay, really," Buffy stared hard at the tabletop, trying to send ESP messages to Will, Xand, Giles, anyone. Help! Slayer emergency! 

"I mean, even after what I did, you...you saved my life! I could've died." He lifted her chin up with his other hand to make her look in his eyes. "It's really made me think." 

"Th-that's great! You know, there's nothing like a little scare to get those little brain cells working," Buffy quipped nervously. 

"Do you know what I've thought about?" 

Buffy opened and closed her mouth a few times before shaking her head no. 

"About life. About my philosophy." He leaned towards her confidently. Buffy pulled back a little. "I realized that I'm not really following it. I'm doing what I said I hated the most: using it as an excuse not to study for finals." 

"W-what?" Buffy was incredulous. The demon gets his soul back, a voice whispered in her mind. "I don't think I'm following you." 

"I go out, and meet girls, and I sleep with them. And I like that, I really do." Parker confided. "It's good to get to be with someone and not to have to worry about all the access baggage." 

"Really." Buffy stated dryly. Maybe the boy got hit in the head a little too hard. Is this supposed to make me feel good about myself, because I'm suffering from Cordy humiliation flashbacks. 

"But, I wondered, finally, 'what about tomorrow?'" 

"'What about tomorrow?'" Buffy echoed, raising her eyebrow skeptically. 

"Yeah," he continued with enthusiasm. Then he looked down shyly and began to rub the side of Buffy's hand. "What about feeling?" 

It took Buffy a moment to get her voice to work. "Feeling." 

"What about the girl, who, even after I hurt her, saved my life? What about the girl who understood my philosophy better than I ever could?" He looked up at her again, giving her his sincere puppy dog-eyed look. "Live for the moment doesn't mean to love and run. It means to love... and stay." He waited for her reply. 

"S-stay." she echoed again, feeling slightly dizzy. I feel like a Furby, repeating every word he says. Or a Yak Back. Get a grip, Summers. 

"Stay." He covered the hand he held with his other one, trapping her hand between his. "What I mean is, I don't want to blow off finals anymore, Buffy." 

"I'm not a very good student." Buffy babbled nervously. "I-if you need a tutor, or something, you should probably talk to Willow---" 

"Not that kind of final." Parker interrupted, shaking his head. "I mean, Buffy Summers, from Stevenson, will you give me another chance?" 

Buffy's mind went blank. She opened and closed her mouth, no sound coming out. 

"First test." came a voice from behind her. Buffy looked. It was Faith. Now she wore an olive green sundress with a matching cardigan sweater over it. With her hair pulled back in a headband, she looked like a typical college girl. 

"First test?" Buffy asked her. Parker didn't even react to Faith's presence. He just waited expectantly, with his soulful eyes trained on her. Buffy pulled her hand from his and stood to face the other girl. 

"Yeah. Didja think that all you were going to be tested on was brawn, B?" Faith closed the distance between them. "You, of all people, know there's more to being the Slayer than demon-bashing. There's that little thing about living in the daylight, too." 

"So, now what do I do?" Buffy looked back to where Parker sat. 

"Whatever you want, B. You can... cut his head off..." she held out the dagger she had tossed to Buffy earlier. " Or..." she grinned mischievously. "You can do what you guys did at his dorm that night, right on the table." 

"That's a little, I don't know, *extreme*, isn't it?" Buffy gave Faith a look. 

"I wasn't finished." 

"Sorry." 

"Those are metaphors, B." Faith walked past her to look at Parker, still sitting there, obvlious. "If you do take him back, it could be like the first thing. Think about it, B." The fog wind picked up around them. 

"Remember Angel? Tall, pale and undeadly handsome?" She glanced back at Buffy. "He was part of that life, and you still sent him to hell. Not even in a handbasket either." She indicated Parker with a tilt of her chin. "Do you think pretty boy here could handle your nightlife?" 

"But..." Buffy began to protest. 

"Besides," Faith continued softly, "you know as well as I do, they don't change. They just find new and interesting ways to rip your still-beating heart from your chest. Isn't that right, Angelus?" 

Buffy whirled around, and she was no longer in the cafeteria. She was back at Sunnydale High, at the aftermath of graduation, looking across the parking lot where Angel stood. He turned to leave. 

"Angel!" She cried, starting towards him. Maybe if she could stop him... 

"Why do you want him back, Buff?" Faith asked. "He's a demon. A devil. He'd drain you dry the next time you to do the nasty. You know that." 

"It's none of your business!" Buffy snapped, watching him disappear in the fog. 

"Oh, but it is," Faith answered. "Test two. What would you do, if you had the chance to get Angel back?" She looked over Buffy's shoulder. 

"What are you looking for, Buffy?" Kendra asked, now standing next to Faith. 

"I don't know." Buffy answered. 

"Buffy." 

Buffy turned. Angel was standing there, in the shadows. "I don't want to leave you. Just say the word, and I'll stay." He waited expectantly. 

"Angel..." she looked at Kendra and Faith. "W-wha-, I don't know what I should do." 

"You have to make a choice, Buffy." Kendra answered. 

"Buffy, I love you." Angel told her. 

"I love you, too, Angel." She answered. 

"What about me?" Came a voice behind Angel. He turned, but it was too late. He turned to ash right before Buffy's eyes. Angelus beat at the dust that now covered his duster. "All that googly-eyed stuff was killing me," he told her. "Now, gimme a kiss." 

Buffy wrestled the stake from his hands, but before she could drive it home, Angelus melted into Willow. "Buffy!" She cried. "Wait!" 

"Will?" Buffy asked hesitantly, letting the stake go slack in her hand. Willow's face morphed into a vampiric visage. "Not quite." She tried to bite Buffy, but the Slayer broke out of her grasp. She started to stake her, but she couldn't. It was *Willow*. 

Xander came up behind her and began sniffing the back of her neck. "Xander, what are you doing?" She asked, trying to fight him off. But when she looked, the doppleganger Willow was gone. 

"Xander, the hyena boy," supplied Faith helpfully from the sidelines. 

"What are you going to do, Buffy?" Asked Kendra. 

She started to punch him, but Wesley replaced him. "Buffy, think about what you are doing." He told her. "If you defy the council, that cuts off all council support. They will not assist you if you need help." 

"Even if I die, right?" Buffy said scornfully, considering punching him anyway. 

"One Slayer dies, the next is called." Kendra answered. 

"That's how it goes, B." Faith added, she was now wearing what she had worn during she and Buffy's last battle. 

"Faith..." 

"Come on B, you know this game," Faith told her, grimly. Buffy glanced around her, they were on the roof of Faith's old apartment building. "Whatcha gonna do, B?" 

"I-I don't know." "Can't you just let someone else do it?" Joyce asked from behind Buffy. 

"Mom, I can't. It's my duty." Buffy protested. 

"Let it be someone elses duty! I don't want my little girl hurt!" Joyce pleaded. "I have to do this Mom." "Why?" Joyce asked. 

"I-I don't know!" 

"Unacceptable!" Wesley cried, flinging up his hands. He disappeared. So did Joyce. Then Faith attacked. 

The two slayers fought there way to the ledge. But, at the moment before Buffy plunged the dagger into Faith's stomach, Faith paused. "So, what're you gonna do?" 

Buffy took a deep, shuddering breath. She looked sorrowfully into Faith's eyes. "What I have to," she answered softly, then brought the dagger foreward. 

There was a flash of light. They were back at the clearing. Faith was now wearing a long white robe. "Congrats, B. You passed the test." 

"Wh-wha-?" Buffy was confused. "But..." 

"You must never hesitate to do what you must, Buffy. That is the way of the Slayer. To stop the madness, without hesitation. To fight off the darkness." Kendra came out of the shadows to stand with Faith. She wore an identical robe. 

"Now you can begin training." Faith told her. 

Buffy hesitated. "Faith..." 

"We begin tomorrow night." Kendra said, then she and the other Slayers vanished, leaving Faith and Buffy alone. 

"Faith?" 

"Yeah, B?" 

"Why are you here? You're not dead." Buffy wanted to know. 

"I'm no longer of the day. Like your man, Angel." Faith said. 

"What do you mean?" 

"I can't be of your world, so I'm here." Faith answered. "I may not have been a good Slayer, but I was a Slayer." 

"You were a good Slayer." Buffy told her. 

"You... hate me, don't you, B?" Faith said, trying to sound matter of fact, but her voice broke. 

"No, I don't hate you," Buffy answered, her own throat tightening. 

"Who do you forgive, and who do you forget?" Faith asked, turning away. A tear spilled from the corner of her eye. 

"I forgive you, Faith," Buffy told her. 

"Will you forget me?" Faith asked fearfully, tears streaming down her face. 

"Never." Buffy told her. 

"Five-by-five." Faith whispered, kissing Buffy on the mouth. Then she stepped back and disappeared. 

********** 

Buffy awoke to light streaming in her window. 

"Good morning, Buffy." Willow said, giving her friend the trademark Willow smile. "Did you sleep good?" 

Buffy sat up and looked around. "Yeah," she answered, smiling. "I had a good dream." 

********** 

Buffy was waiting at the bus stop when someone sat down next to her. "Buffy?" 

She turned, then gave a hesitant smile. "Parker," she said,"Hi." 

"Hi." He gave her a wary look. "How are you?" 

"I'm... five-by-five." She smiled a little when she said that. "How's your head?" 

"Better," he answered. He touched the fading knot on his forehead. "illow told me how my hair was on fire, thanks for putting it out." 

"Uh, yeah," Buffy answered, looking away. 

"Isn't it weird how I didn't even feel it?" he went on obliously. "But anyway, Buffy..." He turned in his seat to face her. "I wanted to talk to you." 

"It's okay. Don't thank me anymore." She said quickly. "Really." She added firmly. 

He took her hand in his. "No, I do. Thank you." He took a deep breath. "I've been thinking..." 

The bus pulled up then. Buffy jumped up hastily "Look, Parker, I'm sorry, but I've really got to go... visit someone. Can we do this later?" 

"Sure, okay." He didn't look the least bit put off. 

"Call me, or something." She retreated. 

At the Sunnydale Memorial Hospital, Buffy entered a very quiet room. She put the dozen yellow roses she had on the table next to the hospital bed, then sat in the chair next to it. 

"Hi, Faith." she said,"It's me, Buffy..." As she took the comatose girl's hand, she could have sworn she saw her smile. 

End. ******************************************************** 

Comments? Critique? I know all the Faith-haters are going to have something to say, but I can't help it. Faith kicks. 


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